Germany’s Alexander Zverev won the Olympics gold in men’s singles tennis by beating Khachanov of the Russian Olympic Committee. The World No 5 emerged victorious in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 at the Ariake Tennis Centre in Tokyo.

Fresh from beating World No 1 and the current Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-final, Zverev eased past his Russian opponent with ease. Khachanov was broken in the third game of the first set and then in the ninth game. And the set was gone.

Zverev, at his best, smashed, lobbed and used drops effectively to take the game. A stunning backhand down the line got the German the final point, making him the first German to win the men’s singles gold since 1988. 

Zverev, who had won an ATP final in 2018, described defeating Djokovic as the highest point in his career. Khachanov won silver and Spain’s Pablo Carreño Busta, who defeated Djokovic, won the bronze medal.

 Novak Djokovic’s bid to win a Golden Slam came to a tragic end at when Alexander Zverev defeated him 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 on Friday. The Serb went down fighting Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the bronze medal playoff and finished his Tokyo campaign with no medals. The 34-year-old has pulled out of the mixed doubles bronze match at Tokyo Olympics citing a shoulder injury. He said that he was not sure about his fitness for the upcoming US Open.